Wishing Stone III

Björg Þorsteinsdóttir studied printmaking at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts. She continued her studies in Germany and France, and later pursued training in metal engraving and lithography at the renowned printmaking workshop Atelier 17 in Paris. Björg embraced both painting and printmaking in the 1980s, when printmaking reached the height of its popularity in Iceland. In her graphic works, she generally drew inspiration from her immediate surroundings, often from the lived experiences of women. In the print series Óskasteinar (Wishing Stones) from 1986, fragments appear to float just below the surface. The crystal-like forms resemble meteorites, even asteroids. Perhaps they are magical stones that contain wishes or possess special powers or enchantments.

Belief in the power of magical stones or talismans is ancient in Iceland. Various types of stones appear in Icelandic folklore and folktales. These include magic stones, wishing stones, story stones, magnet stones, invisibility-helm stones, and release stones. They are not always actual stones, but often appear in stories as magical objects resembling stones. Release stones ease childbirth for women. Life stones revive those who are near death. An invisibility-helm stone renders its bearer invisible. A story stone tells us everything we wish to know. A magnet stone can reveal theft and identify the thief. Those who find wishing stones have their wishes fulfilled.

In the folktales collected by Jón Árnason, there are instructions on how to search for magical stones. It is best done during special magical times around feast days such as Midsummer (St. John’s Day), Christmas, and New Year, or at sunrise on Easter morning. If one finds a wishing stone, it should be placed under the root of the tongue while making a wish. Other stories say that it is the egg of the wishing bear, a many-legged sea creature, which hardens like stone and turns black when it dries.